ronnie8888

I plan to be travelling around Italy during August with 2-3 days exploring this region. I am hoping to use one of the local towns as a base and travel to and from other localities whilst there.

I am hoping to receive some recommendations as which town is the better option with good restaurants and bars during the evening. My wife and I are not the retiring type and would prefer more lively to less lively.

Can anyone recommend which town best suits our needs and some hotel options with views?

Many thanks amigos.
Ron

zeppole

First thing you need to know is that le Cinque Terre is not a "lively" scene with good restaurants and bars, even in August, when it is jam-packed to overflowing with tourists. It is comprised of five tiny fishing villages that have seen little modernization. They have become popular for their scenic beauty, and some people like to hike between the towns, although in August it is extremely hot on the shadeless cliffs. The town that has seen the most modernization is Monterosso al Mare, and it also has something of a beach, so it holds more people and thus has a few more bars -- but they are coffee bars, not nightclubs or late night bars. Because of the heavy non-Italian tourist impact on the area, good restaurants are few.

The second thing you need to know is that in your time frame, almost everywhere along the thin stretch of the Riviera that is on the sea is very crowded, so you will need to book early.

If you would like good restaurants, a marvelous cafe and bar scene at night in a pretty town with good swimming beaches that is close to le Cinque Terre, Sestri Levante makes a terrific base. From Sestri Levante you can take a train into le Cinque Terre.

You can check Tripadvisor and Venere.com for hotels.

zeppole

Here's a good website for Sestri Levante with lots of pictures

http://www.GlobeHolidays.net/Europe/...nte_Citta1.htm

abbydog

I agree the Cinque Terre does not seem like a place to base yourselves, but it is truly wonderful to spend a night there. When I stayed in Vernazza, the best time was late at night, after all the day-tourists were gone. From my hotel window I could hear the waiters chatting in the street below, unwinding from the bustly day. In the morning it was just me and a stray cat strolling down the street, watching the shopkeepers open up, and looking out at the empty beach.

BarbaraMH

We stayed in Levanto, the town right at the edge of the CT. Nice little town... we enjoyed it very much and easy ferries and trains over to the CT. I agree... August = crowded, so be prepared.

ronnie8888

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the feedback and will take the utmost care when planning this part of the trip. By the way from here we head to Lake Como. Do you happen to know if the rail service travels directly from CT to Milan.

Warm regards
Ron

Nancyriz

We are off to CT in April, staying in Levanto. I booked last September. Enjoy.

jetsetj

we stayed in Corniglia and loved every minute of it. We took train from Venice. It took most of the day. There are many stops and I think we changed in Lucca. there was a strike that day so i am not sure if this was the norm...

not to rain on your parade, but must you go in August?
We always go to Europe in Sept. Better weather, less crowded...

katrinab

Monterosso is the most bustling of the towns, but I loved staying in Vernazza. Has more going on than many of the towns but smaller and more charming than Monterosso. I agree with abbydog that the best time there was at night after the day visitors had left and the local kids came out to play in the piazza. More info and pics in our Vernazza post at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/